D'Vante
Created by: Meg The d’Vante clan originated on a chain of islands in sight of Usearous. They would see dragons in the skies from time to time, and earlier clan members worshipped them as gods. But as they continued to develop, the natural fear that such an impressive being could cause developed into scorn. They never came nearer—never even looked their way—and the humans became bold. They turned their eyes to the volcanoes on their islands, where an ancient cousin to the dragons known as wyverns called home. They shared the scales, reptilian build, and sharp teeth, but the wyverns were smaller, incapable of intelligent speech, and entirely magicless. The d’Vante clan lost some good men learning how to tame these beasts, but once they had, the public opinion of dragons changed. They conquered their ‘gods’ much faster than anyone believed possible... The relationship between a wyvern and its handler is considered sacred, but the mystery of the large beasts that once roamed the skies is popularly accepted as over-exaggerated. Or it was until recent years, when a frighteningly large corpse washed ashore their main island. It was nearly unrecognizable, but the clan elders said dragon, and dragon was what it became. The discovery awakened a religious fervor in the islanders, most who were desperate to please their so called gods. When they observed a wing of dragons flying over their skies, they knew it was their duty to follow. Of the d’Vante clan, the bravest and most capable were chosen (sometimes forcefully) to sail the ocean searching for the dragons fleeing Usearous. What they found after a harrowing and dangerous journey aboard The Dragonfinder (the name of their ship) was Eltica. Having found a previously undiscovered continent, the clan members have moved onto Eltica soil and are cautiously exploring this new land that they might someday call home. But their eyes frequently go to the skies, searching for the dragons it is their duty to find and bring home again. According to ancient prophecy on their islands, the day that dragons no longer fly in Usearous’s sky is the day all d’Vantes will die. Their culture has been intertwined with the dragons—or as much as it can be, considering no one in the d’Vante clan has ever been face-to-face with the mysterious beasts (aside from the corpse, which probably wasn’t a dragon). But they dress like them, as much as they can. Their festival garb consists of draconic-shaped horns, masks, imitation scales made from painted bark and stone, shockingly bright clothing, and hand-crafted wings made with animal hides, dyes, imitation scales, and sometimes feathers. Their celebrations are loud and raucous, with dancing, feasting, laughter, and good times. Some of their more traditional dances imitate flight patterns that the wyverns are popularly seen using in the wild. From the wild mating dance to the heart stopping war dance, the d’Vantes have learned to use their bodies and music to express themselves as individuals and a united force. Physically, they tend to be fair skinned, dark eyed people with a majority of the population having either brown or black hair. A small percentage has been born with red hair, mostly thanks to the introduction of another clan that had been developing on one of the lesser islands close enough for the d’Vantes to raft to and conquer. Freckles are common, and popular belief says they are the physical manifestation of a soul’s scars. Clan members with a lot of freckles (especially on the face and chest) are considered to possess a great amount of inner wisdom and often rise to powerful positions in the clan. Music is considered sacred and almost magical; the d’Vantes use it in their everyday lives and have songs for everything. They sing when they plant, when they harvest, when they do laundry, before and after they eat, etc. Sometimes the songs aren’t loudly sung, but it is their way of giving thanks to the world for providing for them. The d’Vantes could be called matriarchal. Women are much rarer than men on the islands, and communities were often formed around one to three women who were strong-willed enough to control the men in their lives. From there, this developed into women-led tribes supported by a council of elders that could be populated by both genders. Men were relegated to battle, protection, and hunting, whereas the women are traditionally the ones in political and leadership roles. It falls to both men and women to care for and create a home, and childcare is treated as a community affair; everyone cares for and helps raise each other’s children. Marriages are almost entirely political in nature. The sons and daughters in communities are often involved in betrothals before they can talk, and are commonly married between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Children are frequently traded between communities, both to lessen the chances of inbreeding and promote unity among all of the d’Vantes. To further emphasize this, everyone born in the d’Vante clan takes on the d’Vante name; their parents give them a first and sometimes a second name, but the last name is always d’Vante. Possible professions of clan members brought to Eltica: Wyvern Handler (prestigious, dangerous, highly competitive), warrior (prestigious, dangerous, highly competitive), sailor, explorer, artisan, scientist, treasure hunter, priests & priestesses, hunters, maybe a couple of farmers, and other useful things like that! No clan member younger than 18 was permitted on board the ship, no exceptions.